The Prophecies of Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser

Bartholomew Holzhauser was born in the year 1613 in the region of Bavaria Germany. He belonged to a poor but devout family, his father, Leonard was a shoe maker and his mother, Catherine was a home maker in charge of raising her large brood of 11 children.

So from the beginning there was nothing auspicious about Bartholomew that would bring him to the notice of anyone. But even at an early age he desired to enter the Priesthood, something his parents encouraged. He went to school for a time till ill health intervened and upon recovering the Jesuits allowed Bartholomew to continue his studies with them.

Even though there was nothing grand about Bartholomew, he took the notice of many by his truly humble and meek manner, his courtesy to everyone he met and obvious piety as he continued his studies. So it was that in 1636 Bartholomew earned his degree in Philosophy and theology this was followed by acceptance to the Priesthood and he was ordained in 1639.

And as Fr Bartholomew continued his Priestly duties few were aware of this heroic soul being the recipient of Divine revelations, for Father Bartholomew never drew attention to himself but rather continued to serve others for the love of God.

During these visions Father Bartholomew was told, "The fifth period of the Church, which began circa 1520, will end with the arrival of the holy Pope and of the powerful Monarch who is called 'Help From God' because he will restore everything. The fifth period is one of affliction, desolation, humiliation, and poverty for the Church. Jesus Christ will purify His people through cruel wars, famines, plagues, epidemics, and other horrible calamities. He will also afflict and weaken the Latin Church with many heresies. It is a period of defections, calamities and exterminations. Those Christians who survive the sword, plague and famines, will be few on earth."

These visions troubled the young Priest as he continued to receive them as it continues, "During this period, many men will abuse of the freedom of conscience conceded to them. It is of such men that Jude the Apostle spoke when he said: 'These men blaspheme whatever they do not understand; and they corrupt whatever they know naturally as irrational animals do... They will ridicule Christian simplicity; they will call it folly and nonsense, but they will have the highest regard for advanced knowledge, and for the skill by which the axioms of law, the precepts of morality, the Holy Canons and religious dogmas are clouded by senseless questions and elaborate arguments."

This message to the world finally ended with this warning if man did not amend his ways, "These are the evil times, a century full of dangers and calamities. Heresy is everywhere, and the followers of heresy are in power almost everywhere...But God will permit a great evil against His Church: Heretics and tyrants will come suddenly and unexpectedly; they will break into the Church...They will enter Italy and lay Rome waste; they will burn down churches and destroy everything."

Though Father Bartholomew was upset at what had been revealed to him, this did not affect his Faith, if anything it strengthened his great love for God and Church. This devout son of the Church went on to found an Order known then as the 'Bartholomistes', and though he founded it Bartholomew did not live to see it gain recognition by Pope Innocent XI.

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser died in 1658.

But in all things let us look to the Traditions of our Church and its Teachings and the study of Scripture.

I encourage all to read further on the life and prophecies of Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser.

Peace of Christ to ALL

Copyright © 2006 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.

Our Lady of Coromoto

Our Lady of Coromoto

The Spaniards arrived at the region of Guanare, around 1591. The native Indians not wanting to have anything to do with the new settlers decided to move the tribe deeper into the forest and settled along the Tucupido River. The new settlers brought the Catholic religion to them but they refused to be converted. Fifty years passed and both groups lived in peace, the Coromoto Indians refusing to accept the Gospel that the Spaniards preached.

In 1651, the chief of the Coromotos and his wife see an extraordinary vision: in the ravine of the Tucupido River, upon the waters, a beautiful lady is looking at them with a loving expression on her face; the small child she carries also smiles amiably. The mysterious lady summons the Indian chief and orders him: "leave the forest with your people and go to the white men in order to receive the water on the head so as to be able to enter heaven".

The chief impressed by what he has seen and heard decides to obey the beautiful lady and leaves with his tribe to be schooled in the Christian religion by the Spaniards. The Indians being used to freedom find it very difficult to adjust to this new way of life. They leave after a short time and return to their village. The lady appears again, this time at the chief’s humble hut. Although the Virgin presents herself surrounded by a luminous aura whose rays fill the hut with fire, she does not succeed in moving the chief, who, annoyed, tries to throw her out and even takes his weapons in hand with the intention of threatening the inopportune lady. Smiling all the way, the Virgin approaches the chief gently and when he stretches out his hand angrily to catch her, she disappears before his eyes. A small holy card, where the image of the Lady was printed, was left in the Coromoto Indian's closed fist.

The Indians finally did what the lady asked of them being baptized and accepting the Catholic faith. This is how the Catholic faith was spread throughout Venezuela and today Venezuela is 95 % Catholic, the people having very devout devotions to Our Lady, especially to Our Lady of Coromoto.

The Virgin of Coromoto is a tiny relic that measures 27 millimeters high and 22 millimeters wide. The Virgin is painted seated, and on her lap sits the Child Jesus. It seems to have been drawn with a fine pen, sketched as a portrait done in Indian ink with dots and dashes. The Virgin and Child are looking straight ahead; their heads erect with royal crowns upon them. The back of the throne which supports them has two columns joined together by an arch. The Virgin's shoulders are covered by a crimson cloak with dark purple reflections, and a white veil falls symmetrically over her hair. She wears a straw colored tunic and the Child a white one. The image is kept inside a richly adorned monstrance where it is presented for the veneration of the faithful.

At the request of the nation's bishops, on October 7, 1944 Pius XII declared her "Patroness of the Republic of Venezuela" and her canonical coronation was celebrated on the third centenary of her apparition, on September 11, 1952. His Eminence Cardinal Manuel Arteaga Betancourt, Archbishop of Havana, representing Pope Pius XII, crowned the sacred image of Our Lady of Coromoto. The Venezuelans celebrate their patroness each year on three different occasions: February 2 and September 8 and 11. The National Sanctuary of the Virgin of Coromoto, a meeting place of great pilgrimages, was declared a Basilica by Pope Pius XII on May 24, 1949.